Saturday, July 31, 2010

Once in a while I find an article or video about UFO phenomenon that I feel compelled to look into a bit more. One example is the recent UFO incident over China's Xiaoshan airport.

Here is a video from ABC news:

Some people have speculated that the photos are time-lapsed photography of an airplane. Others have stated that it may have been a missile test.

Well, that's all fine and dandy, but what about the airport shutting down because of an anomaly hovering around on their expensive and highly accurate airport radar system? Time-lapsed photos can't dismiss the fact that they shut the airport down before the object vanished from the radar system. After the object vanished they kept the airport locked down for another 4 hours. 4 hours?!?! Sounds a bit extreme, yes?

Missile test, eh? You mean to tell me that nobody could call the airport on the phone to say, "Oh, by the way, we are sending a freakin' missile your way. Keep the skies clear please so we don't kill an airplane load of people on accident." Seriously?!?!? Is that the best they could come up with???

A witness from the scene had said, "The thing suddenly ran westwards fast, like it was escaping from something."

With all the photos taken by multiple sources around the city, the airport shutting down for over 4 hours, and multiple witnesses, I would have to say it sounds pretty damn convincing that something strange was witnessed that night.

The only question left in my mind is, what was it? Military? Alien?

While researching the recent activity over China's Xiaoshan airport, I also uncovered this video:

It looks as though China is getting alot of the UFO activity lately. Interesting... Keep watching the skies.

Sidenote:

The kind folks over at Phantom Lite are sending me a Phantom Light Infrared to test in the field and review. I will be using this alongside my Creepy Hollow IR's at the Fort Mifflin and Burlington County Prison investigations. I will also be doing a full review covering many aspects of the IR(e.g. price, battery life, distance, quality, etc.) Stay tuned for more on this soon.

Thursday, July 29, 2010

Fort Mifflin with members of the Ghost Hunters TAPS team on August 14th. Click here for more information.

Burlington County Prison on August 20th.

I have been to Fort Mifflin a few times in the past. The hauntings at Fort Mifflin are legendary. Elizabeth Pratt(aka "The Screaming Lady"), Jacob the Blacksmith, 150+ deaths, Casemate 5 & 11, etc. Almost everyone I have known that has investigated Fort Mifflin has reported some sort of activity.

Here is one of my EVP's I caught from Fort Mifflin:
EVP:
Blacksmith Shop

What can I say about Burlington County Prison? I believe this location to be one of the most haunted locations I have ever come across. From personal experiences, doors opening, things being moved around, great EVP's, apparitions, etc. I will be going back to this location on a regular basis.

Here is my favorite EVP from BCP:

I was standing in the Warden's house at the bottom of a staircase. Nobody was standing next to me at the time. I tagged the audio by saying I heard a noise on the staircase.
EVP:
1 second in ???: "I came from up there."
Me: "It almost sounded like somebody was creakin' on the stairs right here."

Tuesday, July 27, 2010

If you have been reading this blog lately, you'll know I am trying to improve my IR capabilities in the field. The more controlled IR(Infrared) light I have, the better my HD video will be.

I had an idea the other day... I thought to myself, would standard green glow sticks help in illuminating a hallway? Sure. Why not, right? Well, I went online, scouring the internet for the cheapest and largest quantity I could get my hands on.

I bought 25 - 6 inch long IR glow sticks. They are listed as .74 cents a piece if you order 25 or more. Shipping is around $10 for UPS Ground. Expiration date is like 4 years. Used mainly by law enforcement and the military. Seems absolutely perfect for paranormal investigations.

I plan on using these alongside my 2 Creepy Hollow IR's and Sony SR-11 HD camcorder on the next investigation and beyond.

Now, my reason for using these are as follows:

They last around 6+ hours. Same amount of time as a 9 volt battery on my IR floodlight, but cheaper.

They can be placed anywhere you can hang/drop them.

They will not interfere with your night vision during an investigation. We can not see IR without night vision.

2 second review:

They suck. Don't waste your money. They barely light up in the IR spectrum. They should be used as a marker tool if anything. I am probably going to return them and get some standard green glow sticks. I was going to publish a video to show how they worked, but it is not even worth the effort.

Anywho, the owner(Jim) just offered to take them back hassle free. I told him to just send me the green standards. They are a bit cheaper, which is a bonus. I will have them by Friday.

Lesson learned: If you are planning to light up the IR spectrum, use an illuminator.

On a positive note, I have 1 confirmed investigation, and 1 "maybe" coming up in August. Stay tuned for more...

Thursday, July 22, 2010

Last couple of investigations I have been running a static night vision camcorder. Leave it on a tripod and I am good to go. I feel this makes it much easier to review evidence and may increase the chance of getting activity.

Why do I say this? Well, the more I go over others investigation experiences/advice, the more I see that sometimes spirits may not want to be seen. They were once human as we are. Ask yourself this, would you want someone coming into your home asking you questions without permission? I thought not... That is why I leave this static cam in an area in which there is little to no investigation contamination.

Anyway, I have been trying to capture anomalies down long hallways. This does not work well with just 1 IR. So I needed a better option. So off to Creepy Hollow owner/engineer Paul Bradford I went.

Paul Bradford is a great guy on many levels. He is a pro investigator with GHI(Ghost Hunters International TV series), an equipment expert, and extremely helpful in hunting techniques. There have been many occasions in which Paul has helped me with questions that I could not find answers to. Not only is the gear he designs high quality and reliable, but the price is right as well.

Here is the IR Floodlight I just bought from Paul at Creepy Hollow:

If you want to use an IR like this with your night vision camcorder or camera(I use a Sony SR-11 with 0 lux night vision), you may need to pick up a video bracket to attach the IR if needed.

Please keep in mind, you can only use IR's with a camera or camcorder that has night vision. Low lux.

Oh yeah, I also put together an ad for Creepy Hollow. Check it out:

My 2 second review of the Creepy Hollow IR Floodlight:
This is a great addition to my IR ver. 1 from Creepy Hollow. The ver. 1 is a spotlight, while this new IR is of course a floodlight. When I use them both together with my 0 lux Sony SR-11, every single detail comes out in a room at every angle. This is an amazing and powerful combination. I have yet to see better illumination.
Thanks again Paul. Aces... simply aces.

If you are interested in getting some great gear at a reasonable price, check out Creepy Hollow.

Wednesday, July 21, 2010

I ran across this video on YouTube the other day and found it rather interesting. The guy who post this claims he has a poltergeist living in his house. Whenever he leaves his house, he returns to find things trashed and moved around. So, being as smart as he is, he set up a static camcorder to capture the evidence on video. It is interesting that the guy got about 1 million views so far.

So, let's review the video:

First off, the video looks pretty convincing. Spoons being ripped out of the drawer, cabinets opening, stove door going crazy, interesting stuff... However, because this footage is so good, it makes me question the authenticity of it. Could this video be faked? Of course. The technology today is so advanced, that anything can be faked with the right software and know-how. It seems like alot of activity happening all at once.

Second point, if I wasn't there to debunk it, I have to doubt it. Heck, even if I was there at the time of the filming, I would still doubt it. If I was able to go through the drawers and cabinets to dismiss the use of hydraulics or wires immediately after the video was made, this would help me in believing this is real.

When I present evidence on this site, I try and document what I find to be interesting or truthful. I try and put up helpful, creditable information. I guess the point I am trying to make here is this: you believe what you want to believe. I will only lead the horse to water, I can never make him drink.

Wednesday, July 14, 2010

Burlington County Prison. A place of mystery and intrigue. I always try and consider myself a skeptic first, believer second. After the investigation at Burlington County Prison, I am finding it hard to remain a skeptic.

Burlington County Prison was opened in 1811, and shut down in 1965. It is the oldest running operating prison in the United States. 8 inmates were hung on the prison grounds during this time. Including an inmate named Joel Clough, who is said to haunt the prison.

During our investigation, we were witness to an amazing event. It was witnessed by the 5 investigators that were present at the time. The next set of photos should help explain what had transpired.

During the investigation(and ALL investigations I perform), I try to document as much as possible. This way, if something 'unexplained' should happen, I can review my collected evidence. This door in the picture above is a great example.

When we entered the basement at around 8:30pm, we took photos of every room. Then proceeded to the 'kitchen' to conduct an EVP session. The EVP session lasted about 40 minutes. At the end of the session I said, "Ok. We are going to head outside now for some fresh air. Come with us if you care to join us."

Upon exiting the kitchen, heading towards the staircase to the 1st floor to head outside, we noticed a basement door was ajar. We all looked at each other asking if anyone had opened the door at anytime during the investigation. Even though we asked these questions, we collectively knew that nobody on our team had opened the door. Even the caretaker(Marissa) said she had been no where near the location in question.

Funny thing is, this door leads to the courtyard outside.

We tried to debunk the door. The door itself is heavy and has stiff hinges. It does not swing open easily. It takes a great amount of force to open that door. Could it have been the wind that blew it open? Impossible. There was zero wind and the door is way too heavy.

We tried everything we could to debunk this door. I even spoke with a curator about the door the following Monday. He said he has never heard of that happening, nor would he think it would happen because the door is so tight.

Did a helpful spirit open the door for us? The investigative team and I sure think so.

Next up, I want to share with you some video from a static night vision camcorder I setup on the second floor in the hallway. I wanted to try and capture a full body apparition wandering the hallway if possible. Even though I did not get the apparition I was hoping for, I did get 3 amazing EVP videos to share.

Also, keep in mind there is a squeaky fan running during the recording, but it is easy to pick out. Use good headphones if you have them.

First video caught an EVP 13 minutes after placement on the second floor. I can't make out what is being said, but I can tell you that this was not heard on any where else on the 4 hours of recordings. Nobody was anywhere near the recording at the time of the recording. EVP can be heard at the 22 second mark.

Second video is very interesting. At the 1 second mark you can hear a cell door latch being used. Again, nobody was on the floor at the time. Soon after, you can hear me and another investigator at the end of the hall discussing the 'lock' noise she had heard up on that floor.

This third video convinced me of one thing... provoking can back fire on you. We were trying to provoke Joel Clough to show himself or touch us. However, in the recording, it sounds like a scared spirit of a girl. This is what I think was said:

Me: "Something you want to say?"7 seconds in ???: "No."Me: "Do you not want us here?"10 seconds in ???: "Uhm Hmm."

Lesson learned. Even though we were directing our provoking at Joel Clough, it seems as though we may have upset another spirit in the process. From now on, I plan on provoking only if I know I have to or there is a confirmed malicious spirit at the location.

Next, are a few photos found of interest during the investigation.

Now, normally I dismiss 'orbs' as being dust, pollen, or bugs. Sure, most of the time they are. But I wanted to post these photos for those that believe in 'orbs'. These are some amazing shots that need to be shared. Believe what you want, dismiss what you don't. Thanks goes out to Cathy and Craig for sharing these photos.

This next photo looks a bit like ectoplasm mist of some sort.

This is our caretaker for the night, Marisa Bozarth - Museum Curator. She was very helpful and courteous. I believe she was also on the 4th season, 2nd episode of Ghost Hunters - Two to Tango.

This is the 'dungeon' where Joel Clough was punished for trying to escape the prison sometime before his execution.

EVP's

What can I say about this place and EVP's? Let me put it this way, I only picked 6 right now for the blog. Why? Because we must have gotten about 30+ solid EVP's. I chose what I thought were the most interseting out of the bunch.

For best results, use headphones. Isolation headphones work best.

The first EVP that we received sounds like "I came from up there". I was standing in the Warden's house at the bottom of a staircase. Nobody was standing next to me at the time. I tagged the audio by saying I heard a noise on the staircase.
EVP:
1 second in ???: "I came from up there."
Me: "It almost sounded like somebody was creakin' on the stairs right here."

The second EVP that we received sounds like "yeah" or "no". I was standing in a row of cells on the second floor. Nobody was in the hallway at the time. The team was in and around the 'dungeon' area. I was walking from cell to cell looking for activity. I think I found it.
EVP:
Me: "Is there anybody down here."
3 seconds in ???: "No."

The third EVP that we received sounds like "inmate". We were conducting an EVP session in kitchen in the basement area.
EVP:
Sue(Investigator): "Anybody else hear that?"
Craig(Investigator): "I heard 'inmate'."
2 seconds in ???: "Inmate."

The forth EVP that we received sounds like "Hello". We were conducting an EVP session in the Warden's house. Here is the response.
EVP:
Cathy(Investigator): "Do you have anything to say? Now's your chance. We can hear you."
5 seconds in ???: "Hello."

The fifth EVP is a bit different. We were conducting an EVP session in the kitchen area of the basement. Something threw a pebble at us.Click here to listen.

The sixth EVP that we received sounds like a little girl. We provoked minutes before this EVP was caught. I think we may have scared this spirit by doing so. This is from my audio recorder, but is the same EVP caught on the night vision camcorder audio.
EVP:
Me: "Something you want to say?"
7 seconds in ???: "No."
Me: "Do you not want us here?"
10 seconds in ???: "Uhm Hmm."

Another personal experience I had was I thought my hair was being played with. I even made note of it on audio. While reviewing the audio evidence, another investigator had his hair touched also. The audio picked up an low EVP that sounds like 'snip snip, snip snip'. Like someone imitating a haircut. When I spoke to one of the curators the following Monday, he told me that there once was an investigator in the basement that had his hair pulled and he ran out of the building.

My overall opinion of Burlington County Prison? I absolutely love it. I plan on going back soon to get more evidence. It is local to me and has caught my attention, bigtime.

Tuesday, July 6, 2010

We arrived at ESP at around 7:30pm. We had dinner at the Firehouse across from Eastern State Penitentiary. Jack's Firehouse is awesome. The bartender makes the best cocktails and the food is delicious. But, this blog isn't about food, is it?

We had 4 investigators and 2 ESP tour guides. The tour guides were experienced in doing the paranormal nights, so they basicly skipped the tour theatrics. They knew we were there to investigate, not take a night tour of ESP.

I also made sure to remind the tour guides not to speak or whisper during our investigation. If they would have done that, it would have contaminated the evidence and wasted everyone's time. This is a major pet peeve of mine now.

For the record, it was a full moon. The temp was 72 degrees with a 5 mph wind. In my eyes, this was optimal conditions for our investigation.

Eastern State Penitentiary is one of my favorite paranormal spots for many reasons.

This castle-like structure is an amazing accomplishment in itself.

It is local to me. Only about a 2 hour drive and I am there.

It has yet to disappoint me.

The EVP's I received that night were about 12 in total. I am pretty picky about which ones I keep and toss away. If it gets debunked or I have a doubt, it goes in the trash. I ran alot of video and audio. I compared both in order to get the EVP's you are going to hear below.

As with alot of things paranormal, either you believe or you don't. I always feel that if I wasn't there, why should I believe it? I consider myself a skeptic first, believer second.

The 5 EVP's below are from Death Row at ESP. Here is the evidence from the investigation on June 25th, 2010:

The first EVP that I received sounds like a basic "Nooo.." to me.

EVP:
ME: "... right by my hand. Can you come over and touch it?"
4 seconds in ???: "Nooo..."

For the record, I do not believe in orbs. They are most likely dust particles or bugs of some sort. If they illuminate to the human eye during the photo, that is a different story.

In this photo it looks like a light streak down the right side of the photo. The thing that strikes this as possible paranormal for me is that it seems to be coming down from the stairs and has to be moving extremely fast. The shutter speed on the camera is fast. We received no other photos like this what-so-ever. Never have till now.

Here is the photo in question:

Do you have an opinion about these recordings or photo? If so, leave me a response in the Comments Section.

Next investigation coming up is Burlington County Prison this Friday night. Looking forward to it as always.